The Psychometric Properties of Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) in Women with Tension-Type Headaches

Distress tolerance is an important psychological phenomenon which affects self-regulation processes including cognitive appraisal of emotional or physical states. Given that individuals with tension-type headaches are most likely to have low levels of distress tolerance, the evaluation of this variable is, therefore, very essential as the initial step of treatment in this population. The present research aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) in women suffering from tension-type headaches in Isfahan.

The research method was a cross-sectional validation study of 110 women with tension-type headaches in Isfahan in 2019. The research population was selected through purposful sampling method. In order to analyze the psychometric properties of DTS, Cronbach's alpha, composite reliability, convergent validity, and confirmatory factor analysis were used.

The results showed that the overall Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability values for DTS were 0.96 and 090, respectively. The convergent validity was obtained as 0.590, suggesting a reasonably good convergent validity for DTS. Furthermore, the one-factor structure of DTS was supported by confirmatory factor analysis.

The findings revealed acceptable validity and reliability of DTS. Thus, DTS can be used as a research and clinical tool among women with tension-type headaches.